It is known that patients undergoing transfusions of blood substitutes, hemoglobins and red blood cells have increased morbidity and/or mortality rate. It has been posited that this increased morbidity and/or mortality is the result of excess scavenging of nitric oxide causing constricting of blood vessels. While S-nitrosylated hemoglobin (SNO-Hb) is known to be a vasodilator, it is not usefully used in blood substitutes or transfusions, in significant part, because it is unstable, that is it cannot be readily stored without deteriorating. Thus, there is motivation to generate alternative and stable and bioactive preparations, that is morbidity ameliorating preparations.